


black & blue

by V_is_my_shiteu



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Fluff and Angst, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mentioned ASTRO (Band), Mentioned EXO, Mentioned Johnten, Mentioned YuWin, Multi, mentioned jaeyong, mentioned luwoo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-22 22:54:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16606970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/V_is_my_shiteu/pseuds/V_is_my_shiteu
Summary: "If you're gonna murder someone, at least try not to get blood on your clothes"





	black & blue

**Author's Note:**

> *title is from Gangsta by Kehlani
> 
> I've been seeing a fuckton of murderous Dreamies FF lately so I decided to do something similar, a gang AU because the world needs more of those. 
> 
> Just a note that this chapter has major trigger warning, it talks about blood (and some kinky shit but only for like a paragraph), cutting/depression, family members being killed in a shooting, and some sad shit while talking to said relative's grave. I cried writing this chapter partly because it was to get something off my chest (which I can go into further detail if someone wants but I won't do it now) and partly because I was listening to Where U At by 1NB and Brother by Kodaline which is sad as fuck
> 
> This is gonna be a relatively short story and updates may be slow because I'm writing down everything I want to write into notes, so i'm not writing on the spot an lose inspiration, so honestly the next update should be like Friday or smth.

“If you’re gonna murder someone, at least try not to get blood on your clothes.”

Mark smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry baby, but that fucking Astro gang spews a lot of blood. Jaemin has a bad obsession with it. We think he has a blood play kink but Renjun gets all shy when we ask him anything about sex and Jeno would run us over with a semi-truck if we tried getting into his sex life. I still don’t know whose idea it was to let them be together in the same room, it’s just moans all the time and I get so--”

“Mark, I don’t want to hear about your gang members fucking. Now take your shirt off so I can wash the blood off and check you for injuries.”

Mark grimaced. Donghyuck seemed especially upset tonight. Granted, he came home at 4 in the morning tonight covered in blood, that would make anyone upset, but Mark tried to remember any dates he missed. Their two year anniversary was in the spring, it was the winter, when the weather would be crisp and cold, and Donghyuck’s birthday was in the summer. Date night was on Fridays, it was Monday. Mark was puzzled. There was nothing special about today that could make his boyfriend terribly upset, but here he was, his soft lips pressed together in a straight line and his normal doe eyes hard and murky.

It was silent as Donghyuck put Mark’s dirty shirt in the wash after scrubbing bleach on it and went to go get the first aid kit to treat Mark’s wounds.

As Donghyuck dabbed antiseptic onto Mark’s back, he sighed. It made Mark sad to see his Duckie upset without reason. Or any reason he knew, he should say.

“What’s wrong baby? You know I can’t stand to see you upset.” Mark had finally said after Donghyuck sighed for the 10th time that night since Mark got home. He heard Donghyuck whimper slightly which made him stand up right away and turn around to wrap his small boyfriend in a tight hug, not caring about the pain that came with the antiseptic and the wounds he harbored during tonight’s fight.

“Tonight is Taeil hyung’s anniversary.”

Oh yeah, that. Taeil was Donghyuck’s older brother of 6 years who had passed away a couple years before Mark and him met.

_Donghyuck looked at the sharp piece of glass he hid from his family. It trembled in his hands, and he was tempted to stab it right next to his vein. He didn’t, however, opting to stare at it while being deep in thought._

_“Taeil hyung wouldn’t like it if I cut myself. He said it made him sad. I don’t want to see Taeil hyung sad.” The 15 year old thought. Guess he’d just deal with the monsters in his head some other time. It was 8 PM anyway, and Taeil came home at 10, so Donghyuck would just wait for his older brother._

_It became 9:45, and for some reason Donghyuck couldn’t stay awake. His mind and body were begging for sleep, and Donghyuck succumbed, falling asleep with the last thing he saw being a post of a shooting, happening just around the block at the place Taeil worked._

_At 7 AM Donghyuck awoke, his brother, who was usually making breakfast for himself and Donghyuck around that time, not there._

_Donghyuck panicked. Where could Taeil be? Maybe he got caught up at work? Or maybe he simply went to work early today and forgot to tell him? Donghyuck decided to turn to his phone. On Instagram there was a post explaining a shooting that happened last night. With trembling hands and short pants of breath, Donghyuck turned to the slide that showed all the victims that had been declared dead. He was hoping the worst didn’t happen._

_And on the slide, in bold, blocky, black letter, was the name “Lee Taeil”. Donghyuck couldn’t believe his eyes. His brother, the one who told him never to give into the monsters and hurt himself, had been killed by one. Shot. Never to return to his family, to Donghyuck. He was alone._

_The first thing he made sure to do was call his mother. They were somewhat estranged, the family situation complicated._

_His father was out of the picture for 3 years now, having been in police custody. Donghyuck’s mother, Hyoyeon, had told him to live with his brother, who had been living in an apartment of his own at the time. 12 year old Donghyuck didn’t want to, but Hyoyeon insisted that he would be better off with Taeil, who was studying to become a lawyer, than he ever could with her, who could barely keep her job as a grocery store attendee._

_“Hey mom. I’d love to chat with you and I love you but there’s something extremely important to tell you. It’s about Taeil. I know you miss me mom, but you should miss Taeil hyung more. He’s gone mom. There was shooting at the place Taeil worked. He was killed, mama. Taeil hyung got shot and died.” Donghyuck was trying. He was trying so hard not to show weakness in front of his mother who was just told her first-born was killed. But he couldn’t do it. Both his mother and him broke down, the memory of Lee Taeil being burned in their hearts and piece of their hearts breaking knowing their beloved Taeil wouldn’t be coming home ever again._

Donghyuck sniffled. He was trying. He was trying so hard not to show weakness to his boyfriend. He was supposed to be snarky and sassy, rivalling Mark’s fellow gang member, Renjun. He wasn’t supposed to be the crybaby, the one whose feelings were shown at all times. But he couldn’t do it. He broke down in Mark’s arms at the remembrance of his older brother. He had lived 3 years without him already, Mark being able to keep him grounded, reminding him that someone cares for him and that someone loves him. He didn’t know what he would do if Mark didn’t come home one of these days, if he was declared dead. His heart wouldn’t be able to take it.

For now though, he remained in his boyfriend’s embrace, sobbing. Mark just kept holding him, one arm around his waist, one rubbing his back and the back of his neck, mouth whispering calming words and praises as he let Donghyuck sob until he couldn’t anymore.

When Donghyuck was finally calm enough to look up at Mark, his face puffy and eyes red from crying. Mark led them to their shared bedroom, pulling a shirt on and giving one of his oversized hoodies to Donghyuck, silently telling him to get changed.

“Come on Duckie, let’s go visit Taeil.”

They walked on the dark sidewalks of Seoul, Mark humming a calming lullaby while Donghyuck walked by his side, sniffling every so often with a polaroid marked “Property of Lee Taeil” in his hands. Once in a while he would tug on Mark’s sleeve to stop him and take a picture, a habit he learned while going on walks with his brother years ago.

When they made it to the cemetery and to Taeil’s grave, the sun was starting to rise. It was silent for a couple minutes as they stared at the grave marker with the words “beloved brother and son, Lee Taeil, June 6, 1994 - February 14, 2015” on it, before Mark cleared his voice and stepped closer to talk.

“Hi Taeil, it’s Mark. I’m trying to take care of Donghyuck as much as I can for you, trying to keep him away from trouble. Although I never met you, Donghyuck talks a lot about you. He always tells me how great of a brother you were, what a great father figure you were to Duckie when he had no one to be his father figure, how you took him in without a second glance while still having to pay for college. I hope you’re watching Duckie for me when I can’t, as I am for you.”

Mark stepped back and nudged Donghyuck forward.

“H-hi hyung. It’s been 3 years now, I’m graduating high school, and I’ve been dealing with the monsters you always warned me about for a while now. Mark and I have been dating for almost two years now, and uh, I’m a little lonely at school but it’s okay because I have Mark and his friends. I uh, know you can’t actually take these and the cemetery people will probably just take them again but I uh, I took some Polaroids on the way here, and I think you might like them, since you always enjoyed scrapbooking a bunch of Polaroids we would take on walks. I-I love you hyungie. I’m sorry I never got to tell you that more often. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I love you or hugged you when you were still alive.” Donghyuck took a shuddering breath, setting the polaroids down and walking back to Mark’s embrace.

“Goodbye hyungie.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> hi, it's me and I really hope you guys are ready for slow burn and by slow burn I mean not having an update in years because WHOO that's me


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